Opening the night was Going Swimming, a four-piece that emitted a post-punk vibe not unlike Iceage – albeit with a more pop-inspired sound. Their music was fast and energetic, making them an excellent choice for getting the crowd warmed up. The use of multiple vocalists kept things interesting on stage with Callan Trewenack and Aswin Lakshman played off Nicholas Leggatt’s singing.
There was a sense of playfulness between each member, with Trewenack and Leggatt jokingly at each other’s throats for most of the set. “I’m just so angry at how shit you are as a person,” said Leggatt, garnering laughter from the crowd after being slapped in the face by his band mate.
All The Colours followed, perhaps better known as the side project of frontman Josh Moriarty from Miami Horror. Arriving on stage in matching white blazers, the band played some very easygoing, crowd-friendly rock. Again, multiple vocalists were the norm, with Moriarty taking over sole vocal duties and switching between guitar and keys during any downtime. While group performed adequately, they came off as a little standard in their sound – but it was nothing bad by any means.
That said, the band broke their mold when Moriarty lifted his guitar and began to play it behind his head to thunderous applause. They followed with a cover of The Doors’ ‘Break On Through’ – a song that he mistakenly identified as belonging to Led Zeppelin (although this could simply be a case of misinterpreted humour). The rendition was well received throughout the venue regardless. Such was the case again when they ended their set with a Faith No More cover.
After a long wait, Closure In Moscow emerged with singer Christopher De Cinque sporting a bright pink jumpsuit in light of the occasion. The band opened with a one-two punch of brand new songs, including their new single ‘The Church Of The Technochrist’ from their upcoming release, Pink Lemonade. The crowd warmed to the new tunes with relative ease, but the set really exploded when the band issued cuts of older material.
The “So let’s sing together” line in ‘A Night At The Spleen’ went over particularly well in terms of audience participation, with the chorus echoing throughout the room. “Did somebody say naked? Okay, this song’s called naked,” De Cinque answered for an inquisitive audience member before the band launched themselves into the explosive ‘Kissing Cousins’. The song even got the most anchored of people up and moving to its catchy hooks.
Guitarist Mansur Zennelli’s backup singing really added the to the band’s distinctive sound, carrying a nicely contrasted voice when used alongside De Cinque’s vocals. However, perhaps the most admirable thing about Closure In Moscow’s live performance was the balance they striked between rehearsal and improvisation, the latter being most notable during the extended break and outro to ‘Reindeer Age’, which threw many off guard (especially those who thought they had the lyrics memorised).
While the setlist largely revolved around First Temple, the band also felt a desire to share quite a bit of new material, rounding out the night with the aptly titled ‘Happy Days’. The bouncy, upbeat number resonated well with the crowd – except with the odd few who were surprised they didn’t close the night with the typical choice of ‘Sweet#hart’, which they played just prior.
While the older songs satisfied longtime fans, the audience relished the new material. If their performance was anything to go by, it looks like Pink Lemonade is shaping up to be quite a crowd-pleaser.
